


This Wicked Fallout

by Lauren_is_a_moron



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Band Fic, Cheryl and Toni are undead goals tbh, End of the World, F/M, Jughead is the literal Serpent King, Post-Apocalypse, Sort Of, Zombies, betty is the only normal one, bughead are thriving, they're the Archie's until the world ends and everyone dies lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-01-03 02:31:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21171965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lauren_is_a_moron/pseuds/Lauren_is_a_moron
Summary: There’d once been a time when Betty Cooper had plans, a time when music and friendship had been her life, and nothing had been better than that. But that had been three years ago, and the guilt in her heart was enough to fortify her. She’d lost everything the night Riverdale High exploded, killing her boyfriend and band mates, killing civilisation as she knew it. But when Betty stumbles a little farther out of the North side's territory, she realises that not all is lost, after all — just altered.or: the world ends, and In a post apocalyptic Riverdale, Betty comes face to face with the Serpent King, ruler of the dead, who happens to have her boyfriend’s face. And he's pissed she left him to die.





	1. death. a lot of death

**Author's Note:**

> I was so close to calling this "American Zombie" lmao
> 
> edit: hey look another repost! im sorry for spamming with my fics, im trying to space them out as much as i can. I hope you guys understand <3

Before the world ended, they were the Archies.

If there was something Betty Cooper loved more than anything in the whole world, it was the thunderous applause already starting up as she neared the climax of the song. Her throat was burning, chest heaving, stomach dancing, but she felt like she was flying, like -- at any moment -- she would glide right off the stage and into a fog of total ecstasy. Betty couldn't believe that there used to be a time when the mere thought of singing in front of anyone sent her into a fit of nerves that brought her to the brink of vomiting. But here she was, singing to a huge crowd of people, and she couldn't keep the grin off her face.

Life could not get better than this, Betty thought as her best friend's voice joined together with hers. Veronica Lodge was a blur of shadow next to her, raven hair trickling down her exposed back, a matching dress hugging her figure. While Veronica seemed to blend into the dark, Betty was the opposite. She shone with pastels, her golden curls bouncing around her face. But she liked that they were all so different, the colors clashing, showing just how unique each member of the band was -- bright crimson for Archie, blonde for her, and sleek raven for Veronica and Jughead. In that moment, her friends looked beautiful, hypnotizing.

_Elizabeth Cooper and Veronica Lodge: Vocals. (Occasionally playing the tambourine and keyboard)_

The uncouth ring in Betty's ears drowned out the cheers as she stared out across the crowd of people. Sweat escaped down her cheeks, trickling down her back and neck. She breathed in the humid air, gasping for breath as her heart hammered against her ribs, a sensation that seeped through her bloodstream like Jingle Jangle -- the ultimate form of adrenaline. Spotlights swam across her vision, bright greens, reds, and dazzling blues flashing across her peripheral. Betty reached a crescendo with Veronica quickly joining her, their voices slamming into each other in perfect harmony. It was at this point that she began to feel giddy, jumping up and down, her dress flying with her. Holding a high note, she made eye contact with the others through verdant colored smoke that oozed out onto the stage. They had it in the bag. Betty could tell from Jughead's grin as he raised his hands, drum sticks clenched in his fists, before he slammed them down, delivering the final blow.

_Jughead Jones: Drummer._  
_Also: Vocals (When he felt like it)_

Jughead Jones wasn't one to lose himself in the crowd; he was always alert, always awake, raven curls almost obstructing dazed eyes and lips pulled back into a rare grin. He barely smiled -- much less grinned. But when he did, her boyfriend shined. Betty knew that he was aware of the crowd, aware of the screams. Aware that surely, fucking surely, they were the winners. Betty smirked back at Jughead, blowing sweaty curls from her eyes. She knew she could have easily tied her hair up, but on stage, she was allowed to let herself go, to let her hair down - literally. Turning back to the crowd, Betty shifted back into step with Veronica. They didn't exactly have choreography since none of them could dance, but on the very last leg of the song, the girls would stand back to back -- Chocolate and Vanilla (Jughead's words, not hers) with Archie's guitar solo bringing them to a peak.

_And finally, Archie Andrews: Base guitarist and main vocals._

Archie was different from the rest of them. While Jughead stayed relatively aware, taking in the cheering crowd, Archie instead was a dreamer. Standing with his feet apart, crimson hair an inferno in the glowing lights, Archie Andrews looked like a real rockstar. There was a look of immense concentration on his face, and she fell in love with it. Archie would twist his fingers in all sorts of odd shapes to form chords around the maple wood fretboard and once or twice, would slide his hand up across the higher frets. It was just him and his guitar. There didn't even need to be an audience, because that's not what he saw. He just saw the four of them practicing in Archie's garage. There was a glassy look in his eyes, almost as if his thoughts were caught, struggling to process. But his hands kept working, his head kept bobbing, his smile growing wider and wider. Archie didn't just play his electric guitar, he rocked it. And he didn't just rock the instrument, he rocked the stage. Everything vibrated when he turned up that amp, and the whole school got treated to The Archies first ever written song. His fingers worked fast, such tentative touches as he threw his head back.

A sultry voice rang out, mixing with Archie's low growl, sending shivers creeping down her spine. Jughead's voice never failed to bring her out of her stupor. Because he always refused to sing.

But apparently not tonight. Betty didn't turn to look at him, but her eyes did flit to Archie’s, where he'd abruptly awoken from his trance, brown eyes blown wide, lips splitting into a grin. The boys had had their fair share of arguments, and almost all of them were about the raven head's refusal to sing. But on the rarest of occasions, he'd surprise them by belting out a high note. The crowd seemed to notice Jughead's voice, because they went crazy, their cheers quickly collapsing into white noise in her ears.

Betty almost lost her train of thought, almost forgot that she was supposed to be singing. But it was at this point when all of them lost all sense of direction, and stability. Betty staggered, grabbing Veronica's hand as the girl dragged her to center stage. She ended up sandwiched between Veronica and Archie, the three of them leaning into each other before they fell into a clumsy bow, as Jughead took the drums to a staggering halt, each thrum reverberating in her skull.

And that was it. Deep breaths. Betty's lungs were screaming, but so was the crowd. Lights flashed in her eyes, Veronica was yelling something she couldn't hear. It was like getting sucked into a vacuum. All she heard were her own gasps for breath, blood pounding in her ears. A familiar hand grabbed for hers, squeezing it tight, and Betty turned to find Jughead beside her, grinning into the crowd, damp curls of raven hair hanging in striking blue eyes.

Betty could do nothing but beam back at him, her head spinning. She focused on Jughead's touch, how his thumb moved up and down her palm in soothing motions. On her other side, Archie and Veronica were grinning so bright, so wonderful, their eyes lit up, striking. They were laughing, clutching each other, her best friend swaying in Archie’s bulging arms. She let her gaze skitter over the crowd, taking in the Halloween themed decorations: orange fairy lights strung around the auditorium, while glow in the dark skulls illuminated the ceiling, fake blood splattered across the floor like a Tarantino flick. The decoration committee had done a pretty good job. Though Weatherbee had said multiple times not to use the fake blood on the floor, the drama students were pretty big fans of Carrie. And if pigs blood wasn't being poured all over the contestants, then the floor was getting a makeover.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for The Archies!" Kevin Keller ran on stage, diving in front of the four of them, microphone in hand. He looked like he'd just won the lottery, and Betty didn't blame him. They had never played in front of a crowd before. Kevin had actually laughed at them when they'd signed up. What, when town-famous band Josie And The Pussycats were also contending. It wasn't like the four of them weren't friends. They had been close since sophomore year, when Veronica moved to Riverdale, which brought them all together. Betty liked to think Veronica was a cupid, after she'd single handedly convinced her and Jughead to go on a date, while nabbing Archie for herself. After that, the idea to start a band had been talked over many milkshakes in Pop’s, more of a joke than a real thing.

But then Archie cleaned out his garage, and Jughead dragged out his father's drum-kit from the back of his trailer. And after that first session -- when Archie tripped over his amp, when Jughead dropped his sticks almost every single time they hit a chorus, and when Betty and Veronica were barely able to keep a note -- she knew they would continue. They would get better. It took practice, of course. Betty remembered long summer nights of playing into the early morning. But then there were times when they argued, laughed, and cried over the stupidest things. They got sick and blamed each other, splitting into couple vs. couple, with other times it being the girls against the boys, and vise versa. And on rare occasions, it was Archie and Betty vs. Veronica and Jughead, after some petty argument that started over something as small as Jughead dropping trash and Archie getting pissed. Betty standing up for Archie, and Veronica (for some unknown reason) siding with Jughead. It wasn't just being in a band. It was like being in a family.

And in that family, they excelled. They got better with every argument, every laughing fit, every time Archie got confused, Veronica forced them to do choreography, or that one drunken night they all promised to never speak of again. And all that lead them here.

Betty thought Kevin was going to burst with excitement.

"Pardon my french, guys, but holy fuck!"

The crowd gave a corresponding roar, and Betty searched for her mother and sister, giddy on adrenaline. But every face was a silhouette, shrouded in shadow. "Jughead Jones!" Kevin yelled into the mic, turning to face Jughead. "What was that?"

The crowd laughed, and Betty couldn't help joining in. Jughead took the mic and cleared his throat. "I got excited."

"Well, yeah!" Kevin chirped back. "But Jesus, Jug! You've got pipes!"

"I think we all know the winner of this year's Battle Of The Bands!”

* * *

“Jug, you need to relax,” Betty said, soothingly running a hand up and down his back, the worn material of his flannel comforting and familiar beneath her fingertips. She could feel the tension underneath lean muscle, the aggravation rolling off of him in waves, but she couldn’t necessarily blame him for it. He had a right to feel what he was feeling and, to be honest, Betty suspected they were all feeling the same way. Nevertheless, she found she couldn’t quite feel as put out as she should when she felt Jughead sigh wearily before wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her up against his chest. His shirt underneath his flannel was damp due to the glaring lights from the stage, as well as the adrenaline had that wracked through all of them. “We had a great set. The crowd loved us!”

“I know they did,” Jughead sighed, his bright blue eyes full of resignation and disappointment, but Betty could see him slowly losing steam. Truth be told, Betty was proud of him, because the second Kevin announced that Josie and The Pussycats were the winners, the fact that he had stood on stage until the appropriate time was a wonder. She knew Jughead loved being in the band, knew that he loved playing music with them, but she also knew that Jughead wasn’t one for expressing himself in front of others, so the fact that he had been with them, had performed as well as he did, and actually joined them in singing ... well, Betty couldn’t stop herself from smiling, pressing her face into his shoulder as she looked up at him. “I just thought we had it, you know? I feel like our reception was a hell of a lot better than Josie and The Pussycats.”

“I thought you in particular were pretty good.” Despite the fact that they were walking in the hallway of Riverdale High, despite the fact that she knew it was a risk, that at any moment, a teacher or a parent or another student could walk by, Betty startled Jughead by pushing him against the wall of lockers to his left, knocking a surprised laugh from him before quickly silencing him when she pressed her lips firmly against his.He tasted like the chocolate milkshake they had at Pop’s before the concert, and it was such a familiar taste that Betty found herself pressing against him fully, her arms winding around Jughead’s neck while his hands angled her neck to his liking, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

When they finally broke apart, when Betty put her hands on Jughead’s chest and gasped for breath, she found that his eyes were both bright and dark, the many flecks of blue that made up his eye colour practically dancing with an array of sensations. That awareness was back, and it had a shiver racing down her spine, because it was a look that Betty found so endearing about him. She’d been the subject of that look countless of times, and it had a blush colouring her cheeks a dusty pink. She’d also seen him use that look when they were trying to solve a case, their need to get to the bottom of any unsolved problem too great to refuse. Besides the awareness, there was affection, a warmness to his bright gaze that had Betty’s heart fluttering like a hummingbird’s, because she knew Jughead cared about her, but when he looked at her like that, when his eyes did that … it made her heart swell.

“I think …” Jughead said softly, the tip of his finger slowly travelling along her lower lip. “You’ve turned my mood around.” The sound of his voice against her chest sent reverberations throughout her rib-cage. She wanted to press even closer to him, wanted to wrap her arms back around him and lose herself entirely in him, but before she could do that, before she could initiate the action, Jughead continued by saying, “I think we should probably get back to Archie and Ron, though. I have a feeling--”

“There you are!”

Smiling, Jughead leaned his forehead against Betty’s before sighing forlornly. “Told you.”

The sound of heels clicking noisily against the hard concrete floors of Riverdale High, Betty turned her gaze to her right, watching as her best friend strolled towards them. Unlike them, Veronica looked as though she had walked right a magazine cover. While Betty felt disgusting all over -- her clothes were damp with sweat, her blonde hair was clumped together, strands still stuck to the back of her neck -- Veronica Lodge looked immaculate. Her raven hair was glossy without a strand out of place. Her makeup was flawless, despite how much crazy they were on stage. And the black slip she wore looked like he was melded onto her skin, not a crease in sight. There’d once been a time when Betty had been extremely jealous and envious of Veronica, how frustrated she’d become when she worked for hours to make herself look presentable while it seemed so effortless for her best friend. But that didn’t bother her anymore. They all had their strengths, and Veronica Lodge excelled at putting on an appearance.

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” Veronica said as she came to a stop beside them, her dark gaze moving between the pair of them. “I thought you were right behind me and Archie when we left the auditorium.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s my fault, Ronnie.” Betty turned to look back at Jughead when he spoke. With a hand rubbing at the back of his head, he had unknowingly ruffled his raven coloured hair. “I had a bit of a diva moment and needed a second to cool off. Betty stayed with me and worked me through it.” It was such an innocent comment to make, but Betty could see the small twitch in his lips, and she couldn’t help but feel herself flush all over again. Luckily, she was spared from having to explain why her cheeks had darkened when Veronica pressed herself against the lockers, her shoulder knocking into Jughead’s as she got comfortable.

“I don’t blame you there. While I adore Josie and her girls, we definitely had that win in the bag. The crowd was so much more attentive to what we were doing.” Blowing out a frustrated breath, Veronica shook her head before shrugging her shoulders. “But what can you do? This is Riverdale. This town has a hard time accepting anything that’s new. Anything that’ll jeopardise the norm.”

“And suddenly I feel like we aren’t talking about The Archies anymore,” quipped Jughead at just the right moment for Betty to snort aloud, her shoulders shaking at the glare Veronica sent her boyfriend before elbowing him hard in the side.

Pushing herself off of the lockers, pretending to stay affronted, Veronica straightened out invisible creases in her dress before grabbing Betty’s hand. “All right, that’s enough laughing at my expense. Let’s go; Archie’s in the science lab with Vegas.”

Allowing herself to be pulled away by Veronica, Betty turned back to see if Jughead was following, even though she knew he would be. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders hunched like they usually were, and for some reason, that had Betty’s heart soaring all the more. She found herself grinning, her body tingling, full of energy and light and happiness, and it expounded all the more when Jughead’s lips did that thing were he was smiling without actually smiling, his eyes warm and bright and full of meaning and depth and a whole slew of things that were complex and Jughead.

When they rounded the corner and finally made it to the science lab, Betty was greeted to the sight of Archie Andrews on his knees before a bouncing labrador retriever. Vegas barked when he saw them and Betty felt Jughead brush against her as he slid past, quickly making his way over to where the dog was at. Veronica patted Vegas on the head before taking a seat in the professor’s seat at the front of the room, her heel-clad feet coming to rest on top of the desk as she leaned back in her head.

“Ah, it feels good to get off my feet after that performance.”

“You say that after every single gig, V,” Betty said as she slowly moved around the room. While she was tired, she also felt restless, her body thrumming with energy she couldn’t quite get rid of just yet. It wasn’t uncommon that she felt this way; often times, it took a couple hours before Betty was able to come down from the adrenaline a concert gave her.

“And I’ll keep saying it. We put everything we had out there and that’s exhausting work. I’m ready for another milkshake at Pop’s and then a long, luxurious sponge bath at the Pembrooke.”

Betty couldn’t say she blamed her. The thought of showering and curling up under the covers of her bed sounded almost like heaven, but until her body came back down to earth, she knew she wouldn’t be able to fully rest and decompress like she was supposed to. She grinned at Veronica and was just about ready to reply to her when her gaze caught sight of seven beakers that were sat on burners against the far side of the lab, an odd yellow colour emanating from the liquid inside. She couldn’t recall them having an experiment due in chemistry. Cocking her head slightly as she moved closer, Betty eyed the strange glow, curious as to what chemicals were used to make it shine the way it did. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned away, finding that her mind was too scattered and sporadic to concentrate. Instead, Betty turned her attention back to her friends, more specifically, to where Archie and Jughead were beside Vegas, the dog happily sandwiched between the two of them.

“-- completely understand why you’re bummed about it, man, but I honestly think that was our best performance to date,” Archie was saying, his warm brown eyes alight with excitement and pride, despite Jughead’s disappointment. “We killed it out there,” he continued, before his smile became personal, softer, as he looked at Jughead. “And you sang. You said you weren’t going to.”

“Yes, well, surprisingly, you’re a difficult person to say no to,” Jughead replied, the sarcastic tone in his voice classic and on point, but it did nothing to change the way Archie was looking at him, the happiness and adoration in his eyes almost enough to make Jughead squirm, but all it did was make Betty’s heart pound all the more, because she couldn’t imagine life getting any better than this. On stage was something else -- belting out lyrics with Veronica, dancing to the beat of Jughead’s drums, and ringing the notes of Archie’s guitar solos was one thing. But these personal moments, where they were stripped down and being themselves … that was something else entirely. The trust they had in one another was something else entirely, and Betty wouldn’t trade it for a second.

Archie gently knocked Jughead’s shoulder, that soft, endearing look still there. “It was epic, bro.”

And suddenly, just like that, the thought of them each saying goodnight and going their separate ways back to their homes felt like the last thing Betty wanted. She wanted to stay with them, talk lyrics with Archie, attempt choreography with Veronica, even though they both knew that wasn’t going to happen. She wanted to talk set-up with Jughead and get a sense for his vision when it came to which songs came first in their number and where to set up their equipment. She wanted to get lost in the music, get lost in the adrenaline that was becoming all too addictive. She wanted to laugh with her friends and feel the pleasant weight of Jughead’s arms around her. She wanted the night to last, to become endless, for this moment right here to never end.

“Hey, guys?” she said, her voice both hesitant and completely sure, her posture both bashful and confident, as her friends all turned to look at her, their gazes questioning. “Can I … can I show you something I’ve been working on?” Because talking about the song she’d been writing on her own sounded like the perfect thing to continue their night. It was something she’d started shortly after they started the band, and Betty never really planned on sharing it; it was merely something she did out of fun, something she was simply trying out. But now … now she wanted Archie and Veronica and Jughead to see it, wanted to practise it, wanted to see if it sounded as good as it did in her head. “It’s for the band. I sort of wrote it for us.”

“B, are you holding out on us?” Veronica asked, putting her feet back on the ground and leaning toward in her seat, arms folding across the desk. Her dark eyes looked full of interest, mischief all too clear as she grinned over at her. Betty smiled back at her, all traces of doubt and self-consciousness gone from her mind before turning her attention over to Archie and Jughead.

“You wrote a song, Betty?” Archie asked, and the excitement rolling off of him was palpable. Archie was the band’s songwriter, which was one of the reasons why they named the band after him, but to have another person contributing, Betty knew, was thrilling to her life-long friend.

“Attempted,” Betty amended, holding her hands up, as though she’d be able to stave off Archie’s bubbling happiness. “Do you guys mind staying here? Maybe we can go into the band room when the school clears out and practise …?”

Relief surged through her when all three of them said yes, an overwhelming sensation shooting through her as another spike of adrenaline charged through her veins. In retrospect, Betty realised she probably wouldn’t be going to bed tonight, especially if she didn’t find a way to calm down, but in that moment, she would happily have a sleepless night if it meant spending the long night hours with her friends. She spun around and was practically skipping to the door when she felt a hand slip through hers, her heart racing for an entirely different reason now.

“Want some company?” Jughead asked, leaning against the doorframe when she stepped out into the hallway. Betty couldn’t believe how well they fit together, despite how they were practically polar opposites. He was dark while she was light, he slipped into the shadows while she shone like a beacon. In that moment, Jughead was calm while she was seconds away from jumping up and down in pure enthusiasm, and when she grinned up at him, he narrowed his eyes, his lips once again doing that thing she loved so much where he was smiling without actually smiling. “What? What is that look, Betts?”

At the sound of that nickname he gave her that she loved so much, Betty pecked Jughead on the cheek before grinning mischievously, putting her hands on his chest, and slowly pushing him back into the room. She was giddy and thrumming with anticipation and an eagerness to continue on with their night together. “Nu-huh,” she said, shaking her head. “You stay here. I’ll be back in twenty. You can behave for that long, can’t you?”

“I certainly can,” Jughead said, mock offended, a hand coming to rest over his chest. “I can’t say the same for these two.”

“We can hear you, Jug, and you’re right,” Archie called from inside the science lab.

“See? Practically animals.”

“Not funny!” Veronica said. “You will never make it as a comedian, Jones.”

Betty laughed before kissing Jughead again, a soft brush of the lips that was probably more teasing than it should have been, because when he started leaning in, Betty broke the kiss, feeling light-headed with power. “You’re in charge until I get back. Twenty minutes, promise.” And then she was pushing Jughead back into the room and closing the door, twisting the lock into place, her green eyes bright with laughter, especially when Jughead pouted in the window, motioning to somewhere behind her.

“Aw, the vending machines!” he said.

“You can get something when I get back!” Betty called, having to raise her voice just slightly to be heard through the door. “A reward for good behavior.”

“But I’m already the good one! It’s these two you have to watch out for!” Jughead called back. He turned around and flipped Veronica off when she said something, a string of words that Betty only heard part of, but she knew it was lighthearted, because Jughead didn’t look offended or upset. When he turned back to Betty, he winked and gave her a mock salute.

“I’ll see you soon,” Betty said, pressing her hand against the glass before she was moving once more.

She knew her parents would be somewhere in the auditorium, probably chatting with the other parents. And if she knew her father at all, he’d be itching to go home. A plan was already forming in her head of how she’d use her father’s desire to leave to her advantage as she turned the corner. When she glanced behind her shoulder, she wasn’t at all surprised to find Jughead still leaning against the doorframe, his bright blue eyes following her as she turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

She couldn’t wait to get back.

* * *

The second Betty's crown of matted golden curls disappeared around the corner, along with her dress that fit her in all the right places, flying behind her in a phantom breeze, Jughead turned to the others. He was smiling, and he didn't usually smile, especially with that much teeth. But it was one of those nights, and he was in one hell of a good mood. Which was quickly noted by Veronica, who spun around in the chair she was slumped in, a grin already stretched across her lips. "You're looking unusually chipper, Jones."

He folded his arms and leaned against the door, cocking a brow. "I'm sorry Veronica, am I not allowed to smile?" Jughead offered her another grin, which he couldn't help, and after rolling her eyes and shooting him her own unimpressed look, the raven head caved, throwing her head back, giggling obscenely. She crossed her legs, pushing the chair back. It had wheels, so he guessed it would keep her entertained until Betty returned.

"There's nothing wrong with smiling, Jughead. It's just insanely weird when you do it! Half the time, you're acting like a broody James Dean." The girl's words only prolonged his smile.

Veronica Lodge wasn't his girlfriend like Betty or his best friend like Archie. She simply … was. Despite being polar opposites there was something about the two of them that just clicked. Sure, Jug was a loner who sat under the bleachers at school with his head in a book, while Ronnie cheered for the Bulldogs, but she knew all of his favorite actors, as well as classical reads and obscure movies nobody had ever heard of. While their respective boyfriend and girlfriend were talking about childhood memories or which Pokemon character they preferred, Jughead fell into endless conversations and debates with Veronica over old movie stars and musical legends. He almost choked on his milkshake when she started quoting Truman Capote, a novelist he'd been trying to get Betty into for years. But neither Betty nor Archie were into that kind of thing or those kinds of books. They said they were pretentious, and trying too hard. And sure, they were pretentious, but that's what Jughead liked about them.

And when it turned out Ronnie was also a fan of most of his favorites, he didn't know whether to be pissed that a popular cheerleader like her would even know who these people were, much less quote them in public, or be happy he'd found someone who finally understood him, to an extent. At least with words and literature, Ronnie was that person.

They were an unlikely pair, an unlikely friendship. Jughead shouldn't have loved Veronica like he did Archie and Betty, but he couldn't help it. She had been an annoyance at first. Every newcomer into a group is bound to cause a stir, but with Veronica, it was surprisingly easy to break the ice. He'd dreaded attempting to get to know the brand new cheer captain of the River Vixens, as well as the mayor's daughter, but throughout the years, he'd liked her more and more. She was bridging the point of being a best friend, especially after becoming a member of the Archies. The only thing stopping her, however, from crossing into true friend territory, was the relentless teasing she put him through.

Sometimes it was about his hat, other times it was just because she wanted to get under his skin -- in a playful way, of course. But the jibes did get irritating after a while. "Jug, when are you going to wash that beanie?" and "Do you even have a social life? Or do you live your life vicariously through movies where people are actually interesting?" She went too far sometimes. But really, all of them did. They were a band, of course they were going to annoy each other. It was all part of being this weird, dysfunctional family. He wondered if tonight was going to end with her teasing him, but from the look on her face -- slightly pink cheeks, like strawberries dipped in yogurt, and a certain gleam in her eye -- Jughead knew she had something pulled up her sleeve. Or in Veronica's case, her perfectly tailored denim jacket she'd thrown on after the gig.

"Jughead," she said, scarlet lips curling.

He resisted against an eye roll. "Veronica," he replied, in what he hoped was a bored tone. If he acted offended or the least bit pissed, it would only fuel her fire. Jughead bit back a groan. "What is it?" He straightened up, brushing stray strands of hair from his eyes. He really needed a shower. His shirt was practically glued to his skin. He was surprised she hadn't commented on it, calling him a swamp monster.

Veronica's eyes seemed to glint, and she cocked her head, her smile widening. "What were you and Betty doing in the hallway?"

That was met with a chuckle from Archie, who was perched on one of the desks, his legs hanging over the ledge, swaying back and forth with Vegas curled up next to him on the floor. He might have had his eyes opened, warm browns blown wide from adrenaline, his body still vibrating from the concert, but Jughead knew the boy was miles away, probably still onstage with his guitar. It confused him that Veronica wasn't sitting with Archie like usual, her arms wrapped around him, practically straddling his lap. Instead, she'd decided that she was going to waste the next ten minutes of her life annoying him. Shaking his head, Jughead turned back to Archie, and he found his friend in a slightly different position. His eyebrows were furrowed, his gaze locked on something across the room, a hand dragging through tousled curls.

"Archie?" he said, noticing a twitch in the boy's expression. Not enough to properly garner attention, but definitely the right amount to intrigue him. Following Archie's gaze, Jughead took note of the tank sitting at the back of the classroom. Some kids had brought it in, though he was unsure as to why they did. All he knew was that the brown snake inside was harmless and had been milked of its venom, so it was of no real danger to them. Jughead had known Archie since they were in kindergarten and not once did he say he was afraid of snakes, but with the way he was looking at it now, his frown deepening, lips curling, his body arching forwards off the desk slightly, Jughead begged to differ.

"Dude, what's got you spooked all of a sudden?" It was Halloween after all, so he wouldn't be surprised if Archie was attempting to play a prank on him. Archie's pranks were never good, however, because before he could get to the real meat of it, Archie would burst out laughing, unable to even go through with whatever he'd planned.

In short, Archie would never make it as a prankster.

The redhead didn't reply, however, and there were no traces of a suppressed smile, the overwhelming urge to burst. His best friend was completely still, his eyes growing almost comically wide. And while Jughead was trying to figure out what it was that was clearly freaking Archie out, Veronica cleared her throat, bringing his attention away for the time being.

"Hey! Earth to Jughead!" He snapped his gaze back to her, trying to keep his expression neutral, and the girl giggled. "I said, what heinous activities did you and Betty get to earlier?"

Her question was simple. It was so simple. Just words seeping from her lips, hitting the sound barrier. And yet Jughead's cheeks quickly became an inferno he couldn't hide. It wasn't a secret that he and Betty were intimate. The four of them shared pretty much everything, so there were no secrets. Jughead knew that Archie and Veronica had had sex in the Lodge's pool, while he and Betty had happily shared, after far too many sips of whisky, that the two of them had their first time in the Riverdale Register, and specifically on her mother's desk. That was a crazy night. One he'd probably never forget. Initially, it was supposed to be their secret. But after a sip of alcohol, Elizabeth Cooper was a damn menace. The point was, they knew everything about each other. So why was Veronica haggling him over a PG-13 post-concert make out session?

“Firstly,” he said, pushing himself off the door with what he hoped was a look of irritation, “that is none of your business unless the four of us are together and agree on sharing stuff like that.” He glanced over at Archie. “And judging by the distant look on Archie’s face, he’s not even on earth right now, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to postpone telling you the juicy details of Betty’s and my not-interesting-at-all make-out session for another time.” He started towards her with full intention of getting in her face, but when Veronica was in one of those moods, it wasn’t even worth it. Jughead folded his arms instead. “If you must know, we kissed and there was slight fondling. Is that enough for you, or do you want me to go into all the intimate details?”

Jughead didn’t notice it straight away, because he was too busy trying to stop his own smouldering cheeks, but after an awkward pause that went on for far too long, he finally caught sight of Veronica’s cherry pink cheeks, a slight blush tainting cappuccino coloured skin. She almost looked uncomfortable, flustered. He watched, slightly in awe, as Veronica Lodge averted her gaze and tucked a strand of raven hair behind her ear, biting down on her bottom lip. Something twisted in his gut. Was she … embarrassed? Had he gone too far? For the first time since knowing the girl, Jughead was speechless.

Before he could start to break down exactly what he’d said, inwardly panicking, the girl seemed to get a hold of herself. She cleared her throat and shot him one of her usual grins. “You guys are too cute, Jones.”

Again, he didn't know what to say. Jughead figured he'd scared her off with the power of words. After all, it was his defense mechanism. Archie used his fists, and he used his mouth, but obviously not. With Veronica, it was harder, because Jughead swore, sometimes she knew what he was thinking. She could read his expressions like a book, pick out his emotions like Pick 'n Mix.

He nodded slowly, waggling his eyebrows. "Thanks?" He didn't avert his gaze, searching for the teasing curl on her lip. But her smile was neutral. And Jughead couldn't help it. It was word vomit spilling from his lips before he could think about what he was saying. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Veronica quirked a brow. "Like what?" There was a glint in her eyes that he wanted to ignore, but the more Jughead stared at her, trying to read the girl like she could him, he got lost in her eyes, in her dazzling smile. His stomach was twisting itself itself into a frenzy, cheeks burning bright. It almost felt like the girl was pulling him in, dragging his soul from his body. He steeled himself, blinking rapidly. Veronica turned away from him, and she was saying something, but her words meant nothing, barely even registering in his mind, failing to push through the fog choking his thoughts. "What's the deal with those beakers? Is that some kind of experiment that's been left overnight?" The girl was referring to four beakers sitting on top of burners, filled with a clear solution. Veronica coughed. "Can anyone smell that?"

"Smell what?" Jughead couldn't smell anything. Veronica, however, was pinching her nose.

God, he must be tired, but still, Jughead couldn't tear his eyes from the girl. And yet there was nothing really spectacular about Veronica Lodge. But now, it was as if the girl was illuminated in ultraviolet rays, capturing his mind, body, and soul. Jughead lost his breath. Words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, and he found himself at a loss. Veronica, he thought dizzily. Veronica Lodge was ... she was … what exactly was she? She was smart, beautiful, funny, annoying as hell --

"Jug." Archie's voice cut through his thought process, yanking Jughead from reverie. There was an echo, a reverberation to his voice, which definitely shouldn't have been there. It felt … no … sounded wrong. But it was the tone of his best friend's voice that startled him. Veronica jumped up, too, her expression twisting into vigilance.

"What is it, Archie?"

Maybe he had moved too quickly, jumping into action when his body was still coming down from the excitement of the gig -- or maybe he was getting sick, Jughead wasn't quite sure -- but when he started forward, his head spun, the classroom revolving like a carousel, before coming to a jarring halt. It almost felt like that time Archie had dared him to down a bottle of straight vodka. When he'd stood up, it felt like he was falling, crumpling to the ground. But Jughead hadn't had a drop to drink tonight. He ignored it, focusing on Archie, who had jumped off the table, brown eyes still wide. "Wasn't that snake defanged?" Jughead didn't understand the boy's words for a moment. Along with his spinning head, it almost sounded like Archie was speaking a different language. "The snake that Cheryl brought in," Archie said softly. As he spoke, he moved towards the tank slowly, warily, and Jughead had no choice but to follow him, Veronica at his side.

"Wait, Cheryl brought it in?" The three of them rounded the tank, Jughead shooting a look at his best friend. Despite feeling like he was on a roller-coaster, stumbling slightly, he smirked. "You didn't tell me you were scared of snakes, Arch."

"I'm not!" the boy hissed back. "But look at it! Tell me those aren't fangs."

Archie ran a hand through his hair. It was a nervous habit. He was frowning at the glass container the snake was housed inside. There was nothing inside but a branch with the snake -- what the teacher had called a bull snake -- wrapped around it. Jughead squinted. He swore it had been smaller this morning. Though Archie was right. When he leaned forward, the others following suit, the snake jolted, before slamming itself against the side of the tank, its mouth opening, gleaming spiky fangs flashing. The three of them jumped back, Veronica grabbing onto Archie.

"It has teeth!" Archie shouted, wrapping his arms around the girl. "Like, real, proper teeth!"

Jughead stared at the snake, shaking his head. Maybe he was imagining it, but surely Archie and Veronica could see it, too. The two of them were gaping. The brown coils of the snake curled tightly underneath itself. Its tongue flicked in and out as it watched the three of them with beady, abyss-like eyes. Glancing at the flimsy lid on the tank, Jughead swallowed. "Okay, so yeah. The snake has somehow grown its fangs back, that's definitely weird." He shrugged, pulling out his phone and snapping a picture. Betty would die to see something like this. He was trying to find the perfect angle, trying to ignore the snake's eyes, when Veronica let out a sharp breath, her head snapping up.

"What's that?" Her voice was panicked, and Jughead understood, because his head was spinning, and when he followed her gaze, the beakers that Veronica had mentioned earlier were giving off a plume of sickly yellow, which was becoming a vast blanket of fog quickly swallowing up the classroom. It danced in the air, almost teasingly above them, hanging silently. It didn't have a smell, but Jughead's chest was already constructing, his gag reflex repelling. Suddenly it felt like he no longer had full control over his body. He was shaking, eyelids flickering, mouth twisting into a grimace, as if someone was puppeteering him, pulling his strings.

"Jug." Archie's voice was a cry that he'd never heard before. Because Archie Andrews didn't show that he was scared. But this time the boy grabbed him with one hand, the other pressed over his nose. "Jug, what's happening?"

He didn't know. He really didn't know, and that scared him even more. Glancing up, the fog was moving quickly, as if it were sentient. His first thought was to open the windows, but they were locked. Only the teacher had the key.

"What do we do?" Veronica had taken off her jacket, pressing it against her mouth and nose. The fog was getting thicker, and Jughead was getting lightheaded.

"Shit." He covered his mouth and nose, darting to the door and pulling it. When it didn't budge, he yanked harder, his heart in his throat, but then he remembered Betty had locked it playfully earlier. His heart pounded harder. "Betty!" he yelled, slamming his fists into the wood. "Betty, let us out!"

Archie quickly joined him, offering his weight. "Betty!" the redhead choked out, slamming his body into the door. Pressing his face against the glass, Archie let out a shaky breath. "Where is she?"

It was getting progressively harder to talk, the tasteless, odorless smoke seeping inside him. He could feel it thrumming through him like poison, turning his mind to sludge. When Jughead twisted around to face a choked up classroom, he stumbled drunkenly. Archie was quick to grab him, yanking him to his feet, but the boy's grip was clumsy with the redhead struggling to keep both of them upright.

Smoke inhalation, Jughead thought desperately. That's what it was. That's why he felt so -- weird. He was half aware of Archie letting go of him all of a sudden before staggering into the blanket of smoke. He spent several disorienting seconds stumbling around, falling over himself, before another body knocked into him. Veronica. Jughead squinted. The girl's eyes were wide with terror. She was still covering her mouth, but there wasn't much of a point anymore. Whatever it was that had filled the classroom wasn't choking his lungs or stinging his throat like it should. Jughead motioned for the girl to remove her hand from her mouth, and after a look of hesitation, she did. Jughead might have said something, or tried to do something. But words were stuck at the back of his throat like alphabet soup. He grabbed Veronica's arm tightly.

Archie. They had to find Archie.

The crash of a stool falling over was suddenly so loud in his ears, slamming into his skull, followed by Vegas yelping. It was more of a shriek, a cry of pain that Jughead couldn't pretend he didn't hear. Another crash sounded, and then the unmistakable sound of crunching bones, the gnashing of teeth, and pained whimpers very quickly dying out. Jughead knew what that sound was, and yet even when his mind screamed at him to stop, he continued on shaky legs, head spinning, stomach vaulting.

"Archie?" he said softly. Veronica was silent, her fingernails stabbing into the flesh of his arm. The snarling got louder, and when Jughead finally glimpsed his best friend's Blue and Gold Letterman jacket illuminated in the fog, he wished he hadn't. He wished he was seeing things, but the crimson curls were a dead giveaway. Archie was knelt on the ground with his back to Jughead and Veronica, his face burrowed in his dog's fur. But Jughead could see the blood pooling, looking almost black, stemming around the boy and his beloved dog. Swallowing bile in his throat, Jughead stepped closer, and the smell hit him. But it wasn't the smoke, or fog -- whatever it was. Instead, it was something else, an aroma he'd never come across before. It smelt like rusty coins. Like the time he'd swallowed five cents on a dare. It was metallic, curling in his throat.

_Blood._

But it wasn't human blood. It was … tangier. Stronger. His nose flared on instinct. "What ..." His own voice was a choked sob. "What did you do?"

The chewing stopped, and Jughead held his breath. Archie twisted around quickly to face them, blinking rapidly. And part of Jughead shattered. He'd known the boy since childhood. Archie was his best friend, his band mate. And yet now, he couldn't find any traces of the boy he'd been merely minutes ago. Pale yellow eyes stared back at him, which still held recognition. Archie wasn't blank, or completely gone. It was still his friend looking at him, but it also wasn't. Archie's lips were smeared scarlet, fangs he hadn't had before dripping a revealing shade of crimson. Archie cocked his head, regarding them with confusion, before whimpering softly, sniffing the air. He didn't speak, only growled, his eyes narrowing, before turning back to his meal … Vegas.

Archie, Jughead thought dizzily. Archie was eating his dog.

Jughead wasn't sure why he wasn't screaming, or better yet, why Veronica wasn't screaming, either. Because that was a natural thing to do. But he found he couldn't. All he could do...was stare. The pool of blood seemed to grow larger and larger, bits of fur clumped tufted together, and it was enough to make Jughead feel bile forming in his mouth, his entire body flinching when the sound of Vegas’s collar hit the tiled floor. But then Jughead felt Veronica’s hand on his arm turn into a vice and when he was able to force his gaze away from Archie and the blood, he found that Veronica was staring down, her face as white as a sheet.

“Jughead …” she panted, her chest rising and falling in quick succession. “Don’t … don’t move a muscle …”

And then he felt it, the pressure around his ankle, the corded body slowly wrapping around his calf as it worked its way up, up, up. Veronica was whispering something frantically in his ear, her side pressed against his arm, but Jughead barely paid it any mind, his focus locked on what that brown snake was doing. It hissed, and suddenly, that was the only sound that Jughead could hear, but that … that wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t so much hearing than a feeling, a soft, barely there vibration that had Jughead’s eyes drifting shut, his body wavering slightly, and he was sure that the only reason he was still standing was because Veronica was clinging tightly to him. It was the smoke, the fog that was messing with his head, that had coherent thought shutting off, leaving him in this strange sense of … make believe, because there was no way any of this was happening. There was no way Archie had eaten his dog and there was no way this snake had grown bigger, had grown fangs. But when his eyes flickered open …

The snake had scaled along his torso, its body lazily wrapping around his left arm, and it was as though the smoke had seeped right through his brain, because instead of losing himself to the panic, instead of freaking out completely and waving his arm like a maniac, Jughead simply lifted his arm, palm skyward. He couldn’t hear anything besides the soft vibrations that seemed to reverberate throughout his skull, and when the snake slithered along his palm, his black, beady eyes locking with his vibrant blues, Jughead felt the shift. When he blinked, the snake before him was an odd shake of orangey-yellow, his own hand and arm the same shade while the rest of the room appeared to be fragmented shades of blue and purple that melded together. Furrowing his brows, Jughead slowly looked over to Veronica, only to find that she was already looking at him.

Instead of screaming, instead of ripping herself away from him, Veronica’s brown eyes merely widened slightly, her gaze slowly moving all over his face before she breathed out, “Your eyes …” Her voice sounded wondrous, like what she was seeing was rare and precious, and Jughead felt his heart pounding almost painfully against his rib-cage.

Before he knew what he was doing, he shifted his stance, turning to where he was facing her instead of standing beside her, the snake still head aloft in his hand, the quiet hisses enough to turn their attention back to it, its tongue flicking out in intervals. There was an intelligence to it, like it wasn’t exactly an animal anymore, but something more, something … more. He watched in both disinterest and fascination as Veronica cocked her head to the side and slowly lifted her hand, thin fingertips grazing along the body of the snake, a small, amazed smile spreading across her lips. And then the snake was moving too fast for Jughead to follow, its teeth latching onto Veronica’s wrist, venom spraying out of it’s salivary glands, injecting into her bloodstream. But again, instead of crying out in pain, Veronica’s eyes merely fluttered shut, the soft smile on her face turning into something almost euphoric. Jughead couldn’t look away from her, his vision flickering from what he was used to seeing to that strange infrared. Her cheeks were a dark orange/reddish colour while the rest of her body was awash in yellow. And when Veronica opened her eyes again, Jughead couldn’t help but blink, his vision coming back into focus -- only to find Veronica’s eyes … her pupils … they were slits, the dark browns elongated and sharper, predatory.

Jughead swallowed thickly, but before he could even think to say something -- though there was nothing that came to mind, nothing that made sense to question -- he was saved from doing so when there was movement coming from his peripheral. As one, Jughead and Veronica’s attention immediately snapped to the sudden movement, their heads tilting as one. Through the fog, Archie stood and was moving towards them, his head inclined as he appeared to be sniffing the air. He was stumbling, his body teetering one way while he was trying to go the other, almost as though he wasn’t used to two legs -- or the smoke inhalation was screwing with his head. The space behind Archie was empty, and when Jughead’s vision altered once more, he found the ground a melded colour of bluish-purple. The blood and tufts of fur that had once been there was gone. For some reason, that didn’t bother Jughead anymore. And judging how relaxed Veronica felt pressed against his chest, he’d wager that she didn’t mind the absence of a dog, either.

When Archie got closer, there was a smearing of blood along his lips and jaw, trailing down the long expanse of his neck. His eyes were still that strange yellow colour, and there was something almost familiar about the way his attention kept jumping all over the place, like he was trying to process and catalogue everything, but when his gaze landed on Jughead and Veronica, it was almost like something slotted into place. And just like that, Archie grew still, his eyes flicking back and forth between them before landing on Jughead, his body slowly moving toward, eyes hardening. And before Jughead knew what he was doing, he was stepping closer, putting even less distance between them, a strange hissing sound emanating from somewhere deep inside of him. Even Veronica felt it, because only then did she tense beside him, but for some reason, Jughead knew it wasn’t because she was afraid of him. No, he knew without looking at her that her focus was deadlocked on Archie. He had no idea what was happening, why they were glaring at each other the way they were, but it became all he could think about, the very thought of blinking, of moving, of looking away, it was wrong, and he wouldn’t do it. Not until Archie looked away first. He couldn’t do anything until Archie looked away first.

A deep sounding growl rose from somewhere inside of Archie, and as though spurred on by the sound, his body tensing, the snake around his arm tightening along his skin, Jughead found himself standing taller until his gaze was peering down at Archie instead of directly at him. Every single fibre of his being was screaming to take him down, to wrap his arms around him and squeeze, but he didn’t, couldn’t, because deep down, this was his best friend and he couldn’t do that. But this feeling, this more basic obsession was too strong to ignore, and suddenly Archie was awash in oranges and yellows and reds while everything else around him was cobalt and violet, and then another sound came from Archie, something that sounded more like a whimper and a huff than the growl it was, and before Jughead’s eyes, his best friend shrunk back a step, his head lowering, and he knew without really knowing why that Archie was no longer a threat.

But then Archie’s head snapped back up, an alarmed look coming over his bloodstained face, his eyes shifting from yellow to brown. And then Jughead heard it, the tinkling, prickling sound of tension in glass, the acute sound of splintering. Slowly, he turned around, minutely aware of Veronica mirroring his every move. The beakers towards the back of the room were shaking violently, the liquid sloshing inside of the glasses, dancing across the burners until --

_CRASH._

Jughead saw the explosion happening before he felt it, the amorphous coalesce of flames swirling and growing and taking shape before it erupted forward. The last coherent thought Jughead had before the indescribable heat engulfed him was of the pressure of Veronica pressing against him before Archie’s arms surged forward, wrapping around them.

And then there was nothing but the flames.


	2. Chapter 2

hey, so i know i started this,,,, im not actually sure. maybe like october/november? aHH i dont even know what day it is lmao. 

BUT last night i wrote more for this fic. is anyone still reading? i want to write as much as possible over this time, purely to distract myself <3 

so yeah! if you're still reading lemme know with a comment, and ill add more :D im thinking about updating a few fics a week? if you guys have a preference which fic you'd like me to update, let me know! :D 

**pls. i am s o bored send help**

**Author's Note:**

> Leave kudos for more! And feel free to tell me what you think! This was a lot of fun to write :D Just waiiiiiit till next chapter, where it skips three years. it's insane!! (thank you so much to Shelby for editing it, and helping me write it! you are a sweetheart!) I'm gonna say this fic IS bughead, but it's a wicked slow burn- since,,,,,complications since they last saw each other ;)


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